31 Brats Sides That Will Tickle Your Taste Buds 

Some best side dishes to enjoy with your brat are cucumber salad, potato pancakes, pasta with bacon and peas, spinach pasta salad, German stollen, etc. 

Brat is the short form for bratwurst sausage, a German sausage containing veal, beef, or pork. The good thing about brat is that it pairs with almost anything. 

In addition, brats are simple to prepare, and you can use many different cooking methods. Furthermore, when paired with these side dishes, you can serve them as breakfast, dinner, or lunch. 

Quick Table: 31 Brats Side Dishes

Recipe	Calories (Per serving)	Total Preparation Time
Three bean salad	243	15 Minutes
Cucumber salad	212	10 Minutes
Shredded brussels sprout salad with lemon vinaigrette.	399	20 Minutes
Honey glazed carrots	116	5 Minutes
Egg salad	294	10 Minutes
Italian pasta salad	556	15 Minutes
Pasta with bacon and peas	705	10 Minutes
Easy tomato salad with homemade vinaigrette	135	10 Minutes
Spinach pasta salad	538	10 Minutes
Tortellini pasta salad	371	20 Minutes
Potato pancakes	119	15 Minutes
German onion pie	398	1 Hour
German stollen	324	3 Hours
Aachener printen	138	20 Minutes
Hides and	61	10 Minutes
German marzipan cookies	78	5 Minutes
German apple cake	368	15 Minutes
Traditional German Spaetzle	345	25 Minutes
Traditional German Rotkohl	154	15 Minutes
German potato salad	284	15 Minutes
Traditional currywurst and curry ketchup	26	10 Minutes
German bread	153	20 Minutes
German bread dumplings	211	15 Minutes
Authentic German schnitzel	376	10 Minutes
Authentic Swabian Maultaschen	350	1 Hour
German cheese spaetzle	421	30 Minutes
Homemade German sauerkraut	3	30 Minutes
Brats and pineapple relish	38	15 Minutes
Peach salsa	10	30 Minutes
German style coleslaw	85	15 Minutes
Skillet beer braised brats	510	2 Minutes

1. Three Bean Salad

The three-bean salad consists of garbanzo beans, cannellini beans, and kidney beans. It is a colorful and delicious salad that will go perfectly with your brats. 

What you will love about this salad is that it is easy to make and takes less than twenty minutes to prepare. 

In addition, the salad is vegan, dairy-free, and gluten-free. It would be best to rinse your beans as it releases starch, thus creating an unappealing, cloudy, thick liquid. 

If you want to increase this salad’s shelf life and freshness, store them in a clean airtight container. In addition, you can add parsley to freshen the beans. 

Calories Per Serving: 243

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

2. Cucumber Salad

Try this delightful cucumber salad if you want the perfect light and refreshing side dish to enjoy with your brats. 

This dish contains creamy avocado, pickled red onions, and crunchy cucumber. People love this dish since it is simple, budget-friendly, and healthy. 

The ingredients you will need to make cucumber salad are sugar, red onions, red wine vinegar, dried oregano, avocado, rice vinegar, shallot, English cucumber, casero cheese, garlic, and olive oil.

 It would be best to use English cucumbers when making this recipe since they are less bitter and flavorful. 

Calories Per Serving: 212

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

3. Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette

If you want to elevate the deliciousness of your brats, there is no better side dish to have than shredded brussels sprout salad. 

It contains grated carrots, candied pecans, chopped kale, pomegranate arils, shredded brussels sprouts, and creamy avocado. You can shred your sprout Brussels with mandoline, knife, or food processor. 

However, the best method is using a paring knife. If you know there will be leftovers when serving this salad, ensure you serve the avocado separately since they do not store well.

For the rest of the leftovers, you can keep them in an airtight container and store them in the fridge for a week. 

Calories Per Serving: 399

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

4. Honey Glazed Carrots

If you want the perfect sweet and savory combo, this incredibly delicious and super easy-to-make dish will provide you with precisely that. This dish is a fantastic recipe because its ingredients are simple and easily accessible.

For this recipe, you will need honey, carrots, ginger, olive oil, rosemary, salt, thyme, and pepper. 

When making this dish, ensure you cut the carrots into the exact sizes to ensure they evenly cook. It is a perfect dish for thanksgiving when taken with delicious brats.  

Calories Per Serving: 116

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes

5. Egg Salad

Have you ever seen anything more alluring and tastes incredibly delicious than egg salad? You can be sure that you will make it your favorite salad once you have it with your brats.

You will love it since it is easy to make, budget-friendly, and high in protein. 

The ingredients required to make this delicacy are mayonnaise, mustard, hard-boiled eggs, pickle juice, chives, salt, red onion, sweet paprika, and pepper. You can store your egg salad leftovers in the fridge for three days. 

Calories Per Serving: 294

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

6. Italian Pasta Salad

If you have a BBQ and have plenty of brats, what better way to turn your BBQ into a feat than preparing the Italian pasta to go with your brats? 

Since it is simple and inexpensive, you will not need special cooking skills or much money to prepare this dish. 

The salad is the perfect combo of creamy, savory, salty, and sweet. It contains cherry tomatoes, chopped artichoke hearts, mozzarella pearls, black chives, salami, and fresh spinach. Add fresh parsley, red wine vinegar, salt, black pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and fresh garlic for more flavor. 

Calories Per Serving: 556

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

7. Pasta With Bacon And Peas

There is no better dish for busy weeknights than one-pan dishes since they are simple to make and take less time to prepare. 

One of the best one-pan dishes you should make that will go perfectly with brats is pasta with bacon and pearls. It has an alluring appearance, and it is super delicious and flavorful. 

You will need garlic, spaghetti noodles, onion, frozen peas, bacon, chicken broth, black pepper, heavy cream, salt, parmesan cheese, and reserved pasta water. 

When making this recipe, it would be best to use freshly grated parmesan cheese since it has better flavor and prevents any weird clumping. 

Calories Per Serving: 705

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

8. Easy Tomato Salad With Homemade Vinaigrette

If you want to enjoy your brats healthily, one of the healthiest salads you can make is a tomato salad with homemade vinaigrette. 

You will not regret making this salad since it is super easy, requires less preparation time, and will make your brats taste better. 

When making this delicious salad, it would be best to make your homemade vinaigrette first. 

To make the homemade vinaigrette, you will need red wine vinegar, olive oil, garlic cloves, maple syrup, salt, fresh lemon juice, and pepper. In addition, you will need lettuce, fresh ripe tomatoes, and red onion for the salad. 

Calories Per Serving: 135

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

9. Spinach Pasta Salad

Are you having plenty of brats in your fridge, and you do not know what to eat with them? If you want a light dinner that will only take a few minutes to prepare, prepare spinach pasta salad and enjoy it with your brats. 

You can be sure that this fresh, colorful pasta salad will not disappoint you. It contains spinach, slivered almond, hard-boiled eggs, bacon, strawberries, and tangy feta with drizzles of light poppyseed vinaigrette. 

You can store the leftovers in the fridge, but the spinach will not remain fresh and crisp. Therefore, it would be best to add some fresh spinach to revive the salad when serving. 

Calories Per Serving: 538

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

RELATED: 14 Beef Sausage Recipes You Can Try Tonight

10. Tortellini Pasta Salad

Tortellini pasta salad is perfect for picnics when served with delicious brats. You can be sure that this salad will elevate the deliciousness of the brats. The good thing about this pasta salad is it is simple to make and requires less time to prepare. 

The tortellini pasta salad contains fresh veggies, feta cheese, pillowy cheese tortellini, kalamata olives, and grilled chicken, all dressed in Italian dressing. 

If you decide to make this dish ahead of time, ensure you add the feta just before serving. In addition, make more dressing since storing it overnight will make the ingredients absorb some of the dressing. 

Calories Per Serving: 371

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

11. Potato Pancakes

There is no better way to have a decadent breakfast than enjoying your brats with these delicious potato pancakes. 

These crispy, flavorful potato pancakes are fun and require less effort and time to prepare. It would be best if you were keen to confuse Rosti with these potato pancakes (Kartoffelpuffer). 

The difference is that these potato pancakes are finely grated while Rosti is shredded. To make potato pancakes, mix them with eggs, flour, and finely grated onion and fry them until they are lightly golden. 

Calories Per Serving: 119

Preparation Time:15 Minutes

12. German Onion Pie

This delightful delicacy has been a favorite for generations for people in Germany. What makes people love it is that it goes perfectly with brats. 

It gives them a lip-smacking flavor that will tickle your taste buds. In addition, it is simple to make and requires few easily accessible ingredients. 

The good thing about making this dish at home is that you can have German onion pie varieties. You can make them flat with thinner layers and cut them into squares or make them deeper and thicker like a pie. 

German onion pie has a thick creamy base and contains yeast dough with toppings of savory bacon and buttery caramelized onions.

Calories Per Serving: 398

Preparation Time: 1 Hour

13. German Stollen

It is a German Christmas pastry that has been there for around seven hundred years. Despite its being around for many years, people still enjoy it. 

It is divinely flavorful, flaky, and moist. Christmas cannot be complete without this incredibly delicious German stollen. 

What better way to enjoy these Christmas pastries than with delightful brats? You can be sure that this combo will lead to a decadent breakfast treat. 

To make this recipe, you will bake yeast bread with nuts, dried fruits, spices, and candied citrus peel. Then, for more flavor, coat them with powdered sugar. 

Calories Per Serving: 324

Preparation Time: 3 Hours

14. Aachener Printen

Aachen city is famous for a couple of reasons. This delicious Aachener Printen, one of the popular gingerbread varieties, is one of the reasons. 

This delicacy has a deep caramel-like flavor; it is richly spiced and has a hard texture. 

The reason they are hard is that they lack moisture. It does not have eggs, water, milk, or fat. Instead, they contain three kinds of sugar that caramelize when baking them. 

However, you can be sure that you will enjoy them, especially when served with brats and avocado salad. 

Calories Per Serving: 138 

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

15. Heidesand

If you want a German-like Christmas treat, make these delicious German shortbread cookies, and serve them with mouth-watering brats. 

You can be sure you will not regret it, and your guest will keep asking for more. The traditional Heidesand is made with browned butter. You can include rosemary, candied ginger, or orange for different variations. 

When making Heidesand, you will need milk, unsalted butter, baking powder, pearl sugar, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, salt, and pure vanilla extract. It would be best to use butter with a rich color since it has the most flavor. 

Calories Per Serving: 61

Preparation Time:10 Minutes

16. German Marzipan Cookies

There is no better way to start your day than pairing these delicious German marzipan cookies with brats for breakfast. 

When you taste these cookies, you will notice they are chewy on the inside, even though they are firm on the outside. You can accompany this combo of brats and German marzipan cookies with egg salad. 

The cookie is among the favorite Christmas cookies and has been around for almost two hundred years. The good thing is that you can easily make them at home, and you will need a few easily accessible ingredients. 

For this recipe, you will need ground-blanched almonds, homemade marzipan, egg white, powdered sugar, egg yolk, all-purpose flour, and rose water. 

Calories Per Serving: 78

Preparation Time: 5 Minutes

17. German Apple Cake

Nothing beats the delightful German apple cake served with brats, tortellini pasta salad, and a hot cup of cappuccino coffee. 

What makes this cake lovable is its simple preparation and ease of finding the required ingredients for the recipe. 

To make a German apple cake, you will need baking powder, sweet-tart apples, milk, lemon juice, vanilla extract, cinnamon, granulated sugar, all-purpose flour, unsalted butter, eggs, and Vanille Zucker.

 If you want to archive the best result when making German apple cake, ensure you use high-quality butter. For more flavor, you can top your cake with whipped cream. 

Calories Per Serving: 368

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

18. Traditional German Spaetzle

If you want a dish with perfect texture and flavor and one that will combine divinely with your delightful brats, traditional German spaetzle will not disappoint. 

What makes this dish stand out is its simplicity and how fast you prepare it. Traditional German spaetzle is a special kind of egg noodle originated from Swabia that you can enjoy with gravies and sauces. It is also a perfect pair for brats. 

The best part of this recipe is that it uses a few ingredients you will not have any problems finding. For this recipe, you will need salt, butter, milk, all-purpose flour, and eggs. 

Calories Per Serving: 345 

Preparation Time: 25 Minutes

19. Traditional German Rotkohl

When you visit Germany, you can be sure that all the restaurants you will go to will have this delicacy on their menu. 

However, you do not have to visit Germany to enjoy this delicious dish since you can easily make it in your home’s comfort. 

The Rotkohl transforms a humble red cabbage into a beautiful dish you can enjoy with your delicious brats. 

People love this dish because it provides many health benefits. To make this recipe, you will combine ingredients like butter, vinegar, bay leaves, apples, cloves, red currant jam, and juniper berries. 

If you want to have the best results, ensure that you have a long-simmering process when making this dish. 

Calories Per Serving: 154

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

RELATED: Is Ground Pork The Same As Sausage (Ground Pork Vs Pork Sausage)

20. German Potato Salad

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This delicacy originated from Swabia and is still the most famous and flavorful potato salad. What you will love about this salad is how easy, and fast it is to prepare. 

To prepare this German potato salad, the main ingredients you will need are potatoes, oil, vinegar, beef, broth, onions, and German mustard. 

It would be best to use Yukon gold potatoes since they are flavorful, firm, flaky, and deep-yellow. In addition, the beef broth you use must be hot so that the potatoes may soak it up. 

Finally, for better taste, it would be best to allow your potato salad to sit for some time before serving it. 

Calories Per Serving: 284

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

21. Traditional Currywurst And Curry Ketchup

They are a reason why this delicious currywurst has been around since 1949, and still, many people consume them.

Wildly few dishes beat the deliciousness of these delicacies. This dish goes hand in hand with curry ketchup sauce. 

The first thing you should make for this recipe is curry ketchup sauce. Once you create your curry sauce, you will cook your brats on a grill until they have a crispy browned crust.

Afterward, you will slice them and top them with the curry sauce. 

Calories Per Serving: 26

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

22. German Bread

Unlike other bread, German bread is full of nutrients, has a fantastic texture, and is full of flavor.

You can have the best breakfast treat when you slather this delicious bread with butter and jam and then serve it with brats. The Einkorn grain that the German bread uses makes it chewy and dense. 

In addition, it gives the bread a better taste and makes it easier to digest.

For the recipe, einkorn flour, cracked einkorn berries, sesame seeds, whole flax seeds, rolled oats, whole einkorn berries, sunflower seeds, buttermilk, salt, mild beer, sugar, dry-active yeast, and lukewarm water. 

Calories Per Serving: 153

Preparation Time: 20 Minutes

23. German Bread Dumplings

Served with brats and drenched in gravy, these drool-worthy German bread dumplings are pure heaven.

Apart from its mind-blowing deliciousness, it is simple to make and won’t require much time to prepare. In addition, it requires a few simple ingredients that you can find easily. 

For this recipe, you will need eggs, milk, onions, salt, butter, diced hardened bread rolls, nutmeg, fresh parsley, and pepper. 

You can prepare many of them as they are freezer friendly. If you want to eat them, you will reheat them in the microwave and enjoy them with brats alongside German potato salad. 

Calories Per Serving: 211

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

24. Authentic German Schnitzel

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Most tourists who travel to Germany have this delicious German schnitzel, and almost all of them have fallen in love with it. 

Therefore, you cannot afford not to know how to make this delicacy at home. It has a taste that will make you want to have them daily, especially when served with brats and egg salad. 

German schnitzel and Austrian Wiener schnitzel are similar, but Austrian Wiener schnitzel is made of veal instead of the pork with which German schnitzel is made. 

To make this delicacy, you will need boneless pork steaks, eggs, ground black pepper, oil, all-purpose flour, and plain breadcrumbs. 

Calories Per Serving: 376

Preparation Time: 10 Minutes

25. Authentic Swabian Maultaschen

If there is a region in Germany with the best cuisine, it is Swabia. So it is no surprise that this mouth-watering dish originated there. 

Maultaschen is a pasta pocket filled with deliciously spiced meat, onions, spinach, and bread. What you will love about this dish is that combining it with brats will result in an overall divine taste. 

Despite this dish’s incredible deliciousness, it is simple to make and takes a few minutes to prepare. If you want to save more time, ensure you make the meat filling in advance and freeze them. 

Calories Per Serving: 350 

Preparation Time: 1 Hour

26. German Cheese Spaetzle

Try German cheese spaetzle if you want the perfect comfort food that will make a match from heaven when combined with brats.

If you are a fan of caramelized onion, pasta, and cheese, this delicacy will become your favorite before you know it. 

To make this dish, layer it with shredded Emmentaler and caramelized onions. Afterward, you will bake it in the oven. For the best results, it would be best to use many caramelized onions since more caramelized onions add more flavor. 

Calories Per Serving: 421

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

27. Homemade German Sauerkraut

If you want a side dish for your brats that is tangy and crunchy, homemade German sauerkraut will not disappoint.

You will not believe how easy it is to make this delicacy. In addition, it takes less time and requires few ingredients. The best way to make homemade German sauerkraut is by making it in small batches. 

The main ingredients you will need to make this recipe are cabbage and salt.

The problem you will face when making this recipe is that you will have little shredded bits floating to the top once the cabbage starts releasing its juice. Therefore, to prevent this, insert a Ziploc bag to submerge everything. 

Calories Per Serving: 3

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

28. Brats And Pineapple Relish

If you want to make something special for your parents, preparing brats with pineapple relish garnish will not disappoint. 

When making brats for this recipe, it would be best to use the sizzling sausage grill since it is the simplest and fastest method for cooking your brats. 

You will want to buy large enough buns that can fit your brats. You will then garnish your brats with pineapple relish.

Finally, add potato chips, bacon, and fresh grapes for more flavor. However, there is no limitation to what you can add. You can top your brat with anything you want. 

Calories Per Serving: 38

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

29. Peach Salsa

If you want to impress your guests at any party, you should ensure that you prepare for them a showstopping appetizer.

For the many years that I have been holding parties, I have never seen a better appetizer than the combo of peach salsa and brats. 

This sweet and tangy peach salsa creates a delicious twist that even the pickiest eaters will love. But, of course, if you want the best peach salsa, you must use the best peaches. 

Therefore, ensure you use ripe peaches with a sweet scent, smooth and peach in color, and have unblemished skin.

Then, add jalapeno, white onions, lime juice, salt, cilantro leaves, and pepper for more flavor. 

Calories Per Serving: 10

Preparation Time: 30 Minutes

30. German Style Coleslaw

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This delicious German-style coleslaw with brats will be like a flavor bomb going off in your mouth. Once you taste this combo, you will not have enough of it.

Its simplicity is another reason this dish should be at the top of the dishes to eat with brats. 

You will not want to add any cream to this recipe since the slightly sweet and tangy dressing is perfect. The dressing you will use when making German-style coleslaw consists of celery seed, sugar, vinegar, salt, vegetable oil, and dry mustard.

Once you have your coleslaw ready, enjoy it with your delicious brats.

Calories Per Serving: 85

Preparation Time: 15 Minutes

RELATED: The 35 Best Sausage Recipes

31. Skillet Beer Braised Brats

Another surprising way to enjoy your brats is by braising them in beer sauce. You can be sure that when you simmer your brats in maty beer sauce with nearly caramelized onions, you will have deliciousness like no other. 

This recipe is even more remarkable because it is simple and quick to make. For this recipe, you will need salt, brats, beer, thyme, butter, onions, oil, brown sugar, skillet, paprika, beef stock, and pepper. To make your dish flavorful, ensure you use low-bitterness and delicious beer. 

Calories Per Serving: 510

Preparation Time: 2 Minutes

Frequently Asked Questions

How Can You Serve Brats?

Due to the versatility of brats, you can serve in many ways. One way you can have your brats is as a sandwich on a bun. In addition, you can decide to serve it as a main meal and prepare side dishes that go with it well, like German potato salad. 

What Should You Do Before Grilling Your Brats?

Before you start grilling your brats, it would be best to parboil them on the skillet or stove. Parboiling your brats will prevent them from bursting open on the grill, thus maintaining all their flavorful juices. 

How Do You Make Brats More Flavorful?

Brats are rich and full of flavor on their own. However, if you want to add more flavor, you can start by adding the traditional brat seasoning.

Then, add onion and garlic and top it with creamy cheddar cheese. This delicious brat will perfectly go well with any side dish you want.